


Fanciful Crime

by Elfboysnail



Series: Shelter [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Blood and Gore, Crimes & Criminals, Dark Magic, Drama & Romance, Drugs, Drunk Sex, Elemental Magic, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fantasy Village, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Gen, Gore, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, M/M, Mages, Magic, Murder, Mystery, Old Married Couple, Organized Crime, References to Drugs, Romance, Rough Kissing, Sex, Sex drug, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Tarot, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:33:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28684125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfboysnail/pseuds/Elfboysnail
Summary: The children of Indigo and Calvin are called to aid the fae village of Midforest Falls, as a mysterious drug is lacing the street and injuring someone the villagers. Even though the task should be simple siblings, Noelle, Avery, and Finnian although no matter how smart the siblings are they are not prepared for what will be thrown their way.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Original Transgender Character /Original Character
Series: Shelter [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880284
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

Life works in the weirdest ways. We live in a period where Indigo doesn’t work for the Special Operatives, and Calvin is still in the delivery room. Although with in the past 24 to 20 years they had brought their lovely children into the world.

Noelle the oldest.

Avery the middle child.

and Finnian the youngest.

Noelle born on the 24th of December, then Avery and Finnian, twins, four years later on the 25th of December.

As Indigo, now 50, a professor at Runestone University, teaching Introduction into the Special Operatives System and Magical Ethics, and once again Calvin, 52, still in the delivery room. With Noelle, 24, and the twins, 20, were more the well off. The three children still in a great relationship with their parents, Finnian favoring his mother, Avery their father, and Noelle with no favorite parent as she was under the thought that they were equal.

All the siblings found themselves working in their mother’s occupation track. Noelle and Finnian working in the special operatives’ unit (Finnian now the head of the Unit), and Avery, in the basement of the Government building, as a forensic scientist.

Noelle and Avery were more on the side of optimism. Although Noelle is not as free with giving out trust as Avery, whereas Finnian was the pessimist, and disliked many people. Avery is more sociable, shown by having countless friends and Noelle is more of a romantic as she is in a healthy relationship with a lovely man named Q. Where Finnian is more of a loner and even dislikes the fact that he can’t hold a steady relationship.

So, to take away from the fact that Finnian Thorn Bookstone-Corals, was not doing as well as his siblings in the social and romantic parts of his life, the young man buried himself in his work. To him, he made himself unlovable, because no guy wants to be in a relationship, romantic or not, with an insomniac crybaby that is “in love” with the job he has, his bottles of wine, and the number of other problems he has.

No matter how rich or attractive he is.

So, here we are, Finnian waking before the sun was up leaving his latest one-night stand, departure the kind man with a note and the man’s coffee pot brewing, before head back to his own apartment and burying his feelings as he read his mother’s old case files, waiting for the time where he could sit in on one of her classes.


	2. Chapter One

Our story begins within a college classroom, a classroom that was basically an auditorium with the female professor, with short turquoise and lavender hair, and a scarred face, standing at a podium in front of a full whiteboard.

“So, given the fact that dark or black magic and blood magic are illegal,” the professor remarked, her glowing, deep, blue eyes scanning her textbook before looking at her students, “the question I’m asking you all is: why are those forms of magic used in white-collar crime, and why are white-collar criminals getting away with them.”

One of the students raised their hand, “Mrs. Bookstone do these questions have any wrong answers?”

“No,” Indigo remarked, with a smile, “these are our debate questions for today. No wrong answers.”

The man, with short turquoise hair and mixed skin, sitting in the top left corner raised his hand, which caused Indigo to smirked, “go ahead.”

“Blood and Dark magic are used in white-collar crime because it isn’t as “dirty” as say using a gun or a knife, plus it is hard to trace, which makes whatever crime the criminal is committing easier to get away with. Not to mention that Blood magic is used in cults which more white-collar individuals are involved in.”

Indigo chuckled, “and,” the man added, adjusting his circular glasses, “white-collar criminals get away with their crimes because they are rich, and they buy out the police... naturally.”

“Thank you, Finnian,” Indigo remarked, seeing pieces of her son’s soft smirk, “great points as always, even if you disliked taking this class.”

Finnian chuckled at his mother as the students in her class whispered to each other and remarked that he had said what they were going to say.

Indigo shook her head with a smile, “I’m going to call it for today, I believe my son has made the point I wanted you all to talk about. I wish you all a wonderful week and day. Please, read chapter 15 of the textbook if you have the time. The writing prompts will be uploaded by midnight, like always answer them by Friday, and please keep them under 500 words more, I don’t need an essay. See you all next Monday!”

Indigo’s students said their goodbyes and left as Finnian made his way down to his mother’s teaching floor as she began to change the textbooks at her podium and erased the whiteboard for her next class.

“For a boy that rarely came to my classes when you had them, you really like showing up now,” Indigo chuckled.

“I knew all the answers,” Finnian stated, “sitting in your classes when I already had the papers finished was useless”

“Right,” Indigo scoffed, with a smile.

“It was not because I didn’t love my mother,” Finnian scoffed, bending down slightly to kiss his mother on the cheek, “but it was a waste of time.”

Indigo chuckled, “a waste of time, your mother’s class is a waste of time.”

Finnian rolled his gray, glowing, eyes at his mother’s comment, “if you wanted to see me, you could have waited until tonight,” Indigo added.

“I just wanted to see you,” he muttered.

“What happened,” Indigo asked, sitting atop the barstool near her podium.

“The usual,” Finnian sighed, “another guy left me unread.”

Indigo sighed, “his loss.”

“Sure…”

“Love,” Indigo sighed once again, “you will find someone.”

There was a moment of silence between them as a few of Indigo’s students shuffled into the room.

“Look to the future with a bright light,” Indigo posed, “don’t think the future is all just storms.”

“You sound like papa,” Finnian scoffed, looking down at his vibrating phone.

“That’s the point, bébé garçon,” Indigo replied, patting his right cheek while kissing his left, “your sister?”

“Uh-mhm, je t'aime maman.”

“Je t'aime aussi, bébé épine.”

Indigo smiled as she watched her darling son leave her classroom as her students shuffled in, “Mrs. Corals,” one of her students asked, “was that your son?”

Indigo nodded, “disturbing my class like normal.”

The student that asked the question chuckled, before Indigo turned to her desk and pulled up a PowerPoint, and wrote: “Page 250, chapter 18, section 5, subsections 5.1-5.6 and crime outside the city,” on the board, before turning back to her class which was much fuller than before.

“Good morning,” she remarked, “I read over your submissions for your final paper topics, they look good! Although I have emailed those of you who either need to rethink your topics or need to go more in-depth, of course, if you need to talk to me about it, you can see me after class.”

There was some chatter among her students, Indigo adjusted herself at her podium, before clearing her throat, making her students become a bit more silent.

“Alright, if you would like to follow along in the textbook we are on page 250, we’re still discussing chapter 18, in the Special Operatives Code of Conduct, our focus today is section 5 and subsections 5.1-5.6,” Indigo explained, “the section states: Special Operatives may be employed to assist fae villages for multiple, most atrocious, reasons, why is this?”

“When the horrible acts happen, the residents in the villages don’t know how to deal with them because they see one another in an optimistic light, right?”

“Very good,” Indigo remarked, “you're exactly right.”

As Indigo continued with her lesson, Finnian made it to the large government building that housed the Special Operatives Unit among many other government departments.

“Finnian, thank god,” the blond person remarked, standing from his desk, in the large open-concept office, “I have never seen Noelle so upset.”

Finnian cocked an eyebrow at the soft individual twice his age, “Pascal, what’s wrong?”

“There were these people that came in and requested you,” Pascal answered, rubbing his hands to control his anxiety.

“They’re in your office,” the woman remarked with her bangs covering her eyes.

“Thanks, Cyan,” Finnian sighed, “thank you both.”

“You may be the head of our department, but you should come into work on time,” Cyan remarked, “even if you are visiting your mom.”

Finnian sighed once more before heading to his office, upon entering he saw three people dawning hooded robes and his caramel-skinned, lavender haired, older sister standing behind his desk.

“Finnian,” she remarked, he could sense anger in her sweet-toned voice, “these are the elders for Midforest Falls.”

Finnian walked to his desk and placed his keys in the drawer, “what is the reason for your visit,” he posed.

He could feel his sister’s heterochromatic pink and blue, glowing, eyes burning into his skull as he sat in his office chair, “Mr. Corals, we require your assistance in Midforest posthaste,” one of the hooded individuals remarked.

“We are having an increase in drug trafficking, kidnapping, and murders within our village,” another added, “we don’t have the resources to deal with these crimes.”

“I can imagine, having a trifecta of crime in a fae village must be horrific,” Noelle remarked, placing a hand on her chin, “we’ll be more than happy to assist.”

Finnian turned to his sister with a furrowed brow, for her to only glance at him with anger burning in her soft eyes.

“Thank you,” The hooded individuals remarked, “We request: you begin your travel to Midforest Falls tomorrow, we’ll accommodate you with a cottage that will house eight people. We look forward to working with you.”

Finnian and Noelle nodded as the elders left, leaving Noelle to flick her youngest sibling on the forehead, “you’re lucky your mama’s favorite, you would be dead for being so late.”

“I’m not her favorite,” Finnian muttered, “and I went to see her, just so you know.”

“You were still late,” Noelle hissed, “we may not be completely human, but seeing those elderly creatures in cloaks is a bit frightening.”

Finnian rolled his eyes, while his sister scanned the bookshelves, “why did you go and see mama, isn’t she teaching today?”

“The same reason you have lunch with papa once a week,” Finnian retorted, “I was feeling bad and wanted to see her.”

Noelle frowned, “I wish you would talk to me more, so I could help you.”

“This is something you can’t fix, Noelle,” Finnian remarked, “but I’ll try to talk to you more.”

Before Noelle could start another sentence, the office door swung opened revealing the middle Bookstone-Corals child, Avery, short fluffy black hair, mixed-colored skin that matched Finnian’s with bright glowing pink eyes.

“Dear siblings,” Avery sang as if they were singing a song, “why were their old creatures in robes leaving this here office.”

“they were from Midforest, Finnian and I have to go to assist them with high crime,” Noelle explained.

“Oh, what kinda crime,” Avery asked.

“Drug trafficking, murders, and kidnappings,” Finnian answered.

“Oh my,” Avery fake gasped, “can I come with you two?”

“Don’t you have work to do for other agencies,” Finnian asked, as his twin laid in one of the chairs in front of his desk, in a very gay pose.

“I have a team downstairs,” Avery replied, “I’m not the only head of a department in the family, plus I have a lot of vacation time too.”

Finnian sighed, “We could use their help,” Noelle replied.

“Fine,” Finnian scoffed.

“I am glad I got my baby brother’s approval to join him on a case,” Avery giggled, hugging their brother as he sat in his chair, “but I was going to join you anyway if you said no.”

“I’m like two minutes younger than you, A,” Finnian replied.

“You’re still the youngest,” Noelle muttered.

Finnian blushed, as Avery and Noelle went to leave his office, “we’re still going to mom and dad’s tonight, right,” Avery asked.

“Like every month,” Finnian replied.

Avery nodded as Noelle went off to do her own work, “Finn,” Avery sighed, making the boy look over the rim of his glasses, “smile, please, I hate seeing you upset.”

Finnian flashed his sibling a sad smile, “That’s getting harder to do…”

His reply made Avery frown, hiding their face within their fluffy hair, “but I’ll try,” Finnian added.

Avery smiled before leaving their brother alone with his work and his thoughts, and once the clock struck 4-o-clock, Finnian allowed himself to leave and made his way to Southeastern Providence to not only the home of his parents but his childhood home.

He heard the energic voice of his twin and his mother soft, angelic voice upon entering the home, petting the husky puppy, his parents had recently got, while passing all the photographs and memories that hung on the walls, looking at a family photo that had to be over a decade old, as he looked extremely young sitting, by Avery and his mother, her with her trademark long hair she had in the past that the Seitoian boy barely remembered.

“Épine,” Indigo called, “I know you’re there.”

Damn, his mother was good, too good, no wonder he couldn’t get away with anything when he was a teenager.

“Where’s dad,” Finnian asked, with a cough, trying to play off his lurking.

“Still at work,” Indigo replied.

“I got off work early just to see him, but he isn’t even here,” Avery whined in a fake manner as they stood by their mother helping her with dinner.

“I wish he was home too, cerise,” Indigo sighed, rubbing her child’s back.

Finnian sat at the kitchen island as the three of them talked about nonsense, for about 20 minutes before Noelle came in with a bouquet of flowers, “from Q,” Noelle sighed.

“Laceleaf, chrysanthemums, foxgloves, carnations, herbs, and a single rose,” Indigo listed as she looked at the bouquet in her hands, while Noelle got a vase out of the cabinet, “he’s a smart florist.”

Noelle chuckled, “he said that this was a gift, for not being able to make it tonight.”

“He had to work,” Finnian asked.

“Yeah,” his sister answered, “he’s decorating for a wedding and he wants to get done before the weekend so he could go to New Zealand. He ran home to give this to me before I left.”

“Did he give you a bouquet,” Indigo asked, cocking an eyebrow at her eldest child, making all three of her children chuckle.

“Of course, he did,” Noelle remarked, “where’s dad.”

“Right here,” the chuckling voice of the 52-year-old Calvin was heard from the archway marking the entrance of the kitchen.

Their father didn’t look too different from the past, besides his curly hair tied up in a bun on top of his head, his glasses atop his nose, and his face showing his age a bit.

“Perfect,” Noelle remarked, handing her father a smallish gift box before kissing his cheek, “from Q.”

“What’s he apologizing for now,” Calvin sighed rolling his eyes before opening the box, “tell him, thank you, this is really thoughtful.”

“What is it, amour,” Indigo asked.

“A glasses chain,” Calvin replied, hugging Avery, and then kissing Indigo’s forehead, “What can I do?”

“Nothing,” Indigo replied, “since you came home late.”

Calvin scoffed with a smirk painted on his face as his wife, of over two decades, walked away to the corner cabinet to pull out glasses, “I can’t help that I was late.”

“You could have called,” Indigo muttered as Calvin stood behind her.

“I was busy,” Calvin whined, kissing her clothed shoulder, “aiding in bringing of new life into the world.”

Indigo scoffed, “I know what you’re thinking,” Calvin sighed with a laugh, “and stop.”

Indigo laughed, of course, to their children, who had begun their own conversations, the darling pair had not changed, still as lively as always. Still jabbing each other with jokes, sly remarks, and sensual actions, and it, as always, went unfazed by their young children.

“Finnian, red or white,” Indigo asked, making her son change his attention.

“White,” Finnian replied.

“If it weren’t for your looks, it would be unbelievable that you were my son,” Indigo joked, sliding a glass of white wine his way.

He chuckled in a sad tone, “what’s wrong, son,” Calvin asked.

“We,” he sighed out into his wine glass, “we have to go to Midforest Falls for a case.”

It was as if a record was being scratched or nails on a chalkboard, leading Indigo to drop a glass, from the shelf to the countertop.

“Shit,” Indigo muttered.

“You took on what case,” Calvin posed, a hint of frustration in is voice.

“Midforest seems to have a trifecta of crime, drug trafficking, murders, and kidnappings,” Noelle answered, “we have been requested to assist them.”

“We,” Indigo choked out, staring at the broken glass on the counter, “don’t tell me the two of you aren’t going, please tell me it someone like Pascal and Cyan.”

“The three of us,” Finnian muttered, “actually.”

“My God,” Calvin sighed, rubbing his hands down his face.

“I fail to see any sort of problem,” Avery remarked.

“You know how dangerous that is,” Indigo retorted, turning to her children.

“Yes,” The three of them sighed, remembering the stories that their mother would tell them.

“But you’re going to make your parents worry,” Calvin sighed.

“If it will make you feel better, père,” Noelle sighed as she went across the kitchen to hug her father, “we will make sure that not one of us runs into trouble.”

Indigo and Calvin sighed, “fine.”

“Dinner then,” Noelle remarked with a sweet smile.

The five of them ate dinner, and before long Indigo and Calvin were saying goodnight and goodbye to their children, leaving them to stand on the front porch watching their youngest drive away.

“They will give me a heart attack before long,” Indigo sighed.

“Shush,” Calvin remarked, “I don’t enjoy it either, but they will be fine.”

“Why the three of them though,” Indigo sighed.

“Because they are our children,” Calvin remarked opening the front door, allowing her to enter their home, “they are intelligent, combative, and skilled. It is only right that they are the ones to aid a fae village with their problems…”

Calvin followed her to the large staircase that led upstairs, her standing atop the middle stairs and he at the bottom.

“Just as you did,” he sighed with a smirk, “many, many times before, my dearest wife.”

Indigo narrowed her eyes at him, “your point, my dearest husband,” as he met her at the top of the stairs.

“Do you know how much you made me worry, how many possible heart attacks, and sleepless nights,” Calvin posed, softly dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around her hips, “because that number is close to triple digits.”

“Oh please,” Indigo sighed, rolling her eyes.

Calvin took her hands and kissed her knuckles, “they are our children,” he sighed, looking into her beautiful eyes, “angel eyes, they will return to us unharmed.”

She showed him the softest of smiles, bending down to kiss him, “let us hope you are right.”

As Calvin took his wife to do things behind closed doors, we will turn to the likes of Noelle in her modest apartment. Sitting in her comfortable bed, while it began to rain, curled up with an enchanting book before she headed off into sweet slumber. Before being bombarded by the heavy footsteps of the missing man. Q, a man that seemed to closely resemble her father in stature, if it was not for his chocolate skin, almost bald head, and more feminine facial features that were small, but noticeable if you looked at him up close, he and Calvin could be mistaken for the same person.

“My sweet Osmanthus,” he sighed, placing his dark sunhat on the dresser, “I’m so sorry, that I couldn’t join you with your parents.”

Noelle giggled as Q placed himself between her legs, moving her book and placing his face in her hands, “please tell me your parents enjoyed my gifts.”

“Of course, they did,” Noelle sighed, looking at him with soft eyes as she stroked his face, “my dad told me that you need to stop giving him gifts, or he might fall for you.”

Q laughed, “why are your bags packed? We don’t leave until this weekend.”

Noelle frowned, “are you that excited to get off the island.”

“I-”

“Granted you are trading it in for another island,” Q chuckled, his New Zealand accent shining through.

“I am not going with you,” Noelle sighed.

“Oh,” Q posed, “cold feet?”

“No, God, no,” Noelle gasped as Q moved from her lap, “I would much rather go to New Zealand than where I will be going.”

“Then where are your legs taking you, my sweet Osmanthus,” he divulged.

“Midforest Falls,” Noelle sighed.

“And what does this cause us to have a creased brow,” Q inquired, brushing Noelle’s hair out of her face.

“I am having to go to aid in crime-solving,” she remarked, “and to keep an eye on my brother.”

“Always the one to keep eyes on mommy’s dear favorite,” Q chuckled seeing the frown at the top of her face, “but you will be doing one of your favorite things: solving crime, and among those that you should feel in company with.”

Noelle sighed resting her head upon his shoulder, “I would rather be in your human company than creatures.”

Q took her hand and kissed it, “you can’t see this trip as more than just looking after your brother, can you not?”

“And I will have to keep an eye on Avery.”

“Oh no,” Q chuckled, “but again, crime-solving.”

“Crime-solving,” Noelle exhaled in a laugh as she laid back in their bed, “my favorite thing.”

Q smiled, “but you, truly are my favorite thing,” she sighed.

“To do,” Q posed jokingly.

Noelle laughed, “it is my fault that Finnian and I are going anyway if I kept my mouth shut, I’m sorry.”

“Shush, sweet Osmanthus,” Q sighed, laying down beside her, “even if you will go to keep an eye on your children siblings-”

“They are far from children,” Noelle replied, “Finn is anyway.”

“In any case,” Q chuckled, “you will be doing great things and you will solve whatever case you have found yourself in.”

“I am sorry, though,” she sighed, “I really wanted to meet your parents.”

“Don’t worry,” he remarked, “my parents will understand.”

“I will not be gone but a week, then I will join you in Queenstown if I am able,” Noelle sighed.

“I look forward to the day,” Q remarked, kissing her cheek.

While Noelle enjoyed her night with the lovely man that she called hers and Avery was trying to figure out what to bring with them in their apartment across town, Finnian stood at the edge of the infinity pool attached to his penthouse. Allowing himself to step into it as the rain fell upon his skin. His happy place, the place he could hide himself and his feelings, the only thing he was missing was someone to share his happy place with. But alas, he would float as it rained, and tears fell from his face.


	3. Chapter Two

It wasn’t like Finnian was starting off his day any different, it was if the boy never slept. The only difference in this morning than any other is that he was standing in front of his sibling’s apartment with his tired sister beside him.

“Did you stay up late with Q,” Finnian asked.

“A bit,” Noelle answered.

“We won’t be gone long,” he said, “with the three of us, we’ll only be there for a few days.”

“Let’s hope you’re right,” Noelle sighed, watching Avery exit their apartment.

“Why must we leave so damn early,” Avery groaned.

“because it’s going to take us half the day to get there,” Finnian replied.

Avery groaned once more before placing their bags in the trunk of Finnian’s car, “alright then let’s get going.”

Finnian let out a sound of agreement before getting into the car for them to begin the journey to Midforest Falls. Which was half traveling in his car as the sun rose then by horse and wagon before the sun could set. Finally made to the large village in the middle of the afternoon.

“Wonderful,” Noelle sighed, standing up from her place beside Finnian allowing herself to stretch, “it’s a cute little cottage.”

Finnian nodded, “it has four bedrooms,” Avery remarked, with a yawn as they sat up in the back, “it’s pretty small.”

Finnian chuckled, “I’m sure you can find a place to sleep.”

Avery scoffed, “what time is it?”

“Almost 3:30,” Noelle replied.

Avery huffed hopping off the wagon with their sister, “I’ll call mom and dad,” Noelle yawned.

“I’m finding a bed,” Avery muttered.

Finnian cracked a smile, maybe it was the fact that they were both just as tired as he was daily or the change in environment. Finnian felt calm, oddly enough. It was as if his mother was singing to him. Once he placed their bags inside, the youngest Bookstone-Corals child went to explore the village he had found himself in. He wasn’t going to investigate just get, his sister would have his pretty little head if she found out, he was investigating without her.

For the most part, Finnian kept to himself pasting through the beautiful village with a river running through it, he came upon a tarot card shop, named Paradise, which he found himself wondering into. Normally he wouldn’t place himself in a shop like this one, but something was drawing him to the organized cluttered of this quaint store. Finnian heard the chatter from the backroom closed by a curtain, leaving him to attempted to distance his mind by looking at the shops wears so he wouldn’t listen into the conversations.

“Thank you,” A soft masculine voice remarked, “I’m always here to perform a reading.”

Finnian watched a couple leaving the backroom, out of the corner of his eye and soon made his way to the archway as the couple left. He knocked on the oak wood to announce his presents before pulling back the curtain.

“No normal customer just comes into my backroom,” Finnian locked eyes with a coral-haired man, his lilac eyes staring into his soul, while his caramel skin glowed in the candlelight. He wore a large scarf around his neck that was a soft burgundy color as the extremely oversized sweater he wore held the same coral color that his hair did.

“I’m not a normal customer,” Finnian remarked, “I’m Finnian.”

“I’m Aernduil, Welcome to Paradise,” he remarked, shuffling his tarot cards, “you’re are the human outsider, coming to investigate, correct.”

“Not human, but yes.”

“So, you’re the child of Indigo Corals,” Aernduil said with a smirk.

“One of,” Finnian replied, “have you met her before? She never mentioned coming to Midforest.”

“I have never met her, but I have heard of her,” Aernduil replied, “come sit.”

Finnian cocked an eyebrow before sitting down in front of Aernduil, who then placed the tarot deck on the table and spread the 78 cards out.

“Ten, choose, ten.”

Finnian did so, and once the ten cards were picked the deck was neatly placed to the side, as Aernduil placed the cards that were chosen into his hand face down, of course, “the Celtic cross spread,” Aernduil began, “a spread shows: the present,”

Aernduil flips the card before placing the Fool, upright, on the table “you are on a new journey, starting new relationships, there is also a sense of fresh air at work.”

Aernduil then placed the Nine of Wands, reversed, horizontally across the Fool, “the challenges: your exhausted, or become more exhausted.”

“where to direct focus,” he remarked, placing the King of Wands, upright, below first two cards, “it seems you need to direct your focus on the bigger picture.”

“But we continue,” Aernduil chuckled, “the past.”

To the left if the first two cards the Ace of Wands, reversed, was placed, “you were bored, you lacked passion.”

Above the first two cards, the magician, upright, was placed, “your strengths: you have willpower, desire, and you’re very creative,” Aernduil sighed with a smile, “you’re a mage, out of everything. I know I’m right about that.”

The Lovers, upright, was placed to the right of the first two cards, “a glance into the future: union and partnership, or love and romance, lucky.”

Finnian stared at the lovers card, “that completes the cross, now to the staff,” Aernduil said, placing the Ten of Cups, upright, a few inches away from the other 6 cards, “a suggested approach: possibly find inner happiness or seek fulfillment.”

Aernduil took notice of Finnian staring at the lovers card, but continued by placing the Four of Swords, upright, above the Ten of Cups, “what you need to know,” there was a movement of silence, “you're allowed to relax, rest, and even recover from stress.”

The Hermit, reversed, was placed above the Four of Swords, “your fears: loneliness.”

Aernduil didn’t focus on Finnian’s fears too long, and moved on by placing the Devil, reversed, above the Hermit, “possible outcomes: freedom, and release, from something physical or not.”

Finnian stared at the whole spread, “interesting,” he muttered.

“The lovers card, could not mean in the romantic sense,” Aernduil remarked, “just as the death card…”

He seemed to pull the death card from the top of the deck, that was off to the side, “does not mean that death is upon you.”

Finnian nodded, “was I right,” Aernduil posed.

“About the spread?”

Aernduil nodded, “for the most part,” Finnian remarked, standing from his seat, “no matter if the lovers mean romance or union, I don’t get along with people.”

Aernduil watched the Corals boy go to leave his shop, “but…”

Finnian turned back as he pulled back the curtain, seeing Aernduil smiling with his chin resting in his hands, “you got along with me just fine.”

Finnian blushed as his heart began to race, seeing Aernduil smiling with his eyes closed, “am I the exception,” the mystical creature asked.

Finnian quickly turned back, “I became a customer, I was just giving you business.”

“and yet you didn’t pay,” Aernduil chuckled, knowing he made Finnian blush more, “although, instead of paying me in silver coin, pay me in a trip to the Fairy Dust Tavern.”

There was a small moment of silence, “it will be an easy way to people watch for your investigation, most of the victims had visited the tavern before dying,” the creature explained.

“deal,” Finnian replied.

“be back around 9, pretty boy.”

Finnian’s pale face turned a pink color before swiftly leaving the tarot card shop and heading back to his cottage, hoping that Aernduil would not be his end later. Although it seemed odd for someone like Aernduil to be behind the crimes in Midforest Falls, granted that is the whole point. He checked in on his siblings, both sleeping soundly, which he soon did himself, or at least tried. Sleeping and napping were far from the boy’s strong suit and now with being in a new place, that didn’t help, allowing him to only get 30 minutes of sleep before he had to meet Aernduil once again.

“you looked like shit,” Aernduil remarked with a smile as Finnian approached his closed shop.

The creature wore a large cloak, shielding his body from the cold along with the big scarf he had before. His hands clasped behind his back as he stood tall at almost 6 feet.

“Thanks for the compliment,” Finnian sighed, rolling his eyes, “so where is the tavern?”

Aernduil smiled, “down the street, at the corner of the intersection, the Fairy Dust Tavern, one of the most popular places to gather.”

“Meaning a popular place to find a victim,” Finnian added.

“Right on, my friend,” Aernduil said, as they began to walk, “can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What are you?”

“I don’t know,” Finnian replied, “my mother always said that all she knows is that there are 4 different creatures within the family tree, but that she never found out what kind.”

“So, it is all on your mom’s side?”

“Yeah,” Finnian replied, “what are you?”

“A pixie,” he replied.

“Don’t pixies tend to be shorter?”

Aernduil chuckled, “I’m the exception.”

Both of them laughed as they entered the Tavern, revealing a lively scene of many creatures enjoying their evening, Finnian sighed at the sight of the sea of people.

“You okay,” Aernduil asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Too many people,” Finnian sighed.

“Sorry,” the pixie replied, “I’ll stay close, okay. After we get drinks, we can people watch together.”

Finnian hid a small smile as he followed Aernduil to the bar, “Evening Aern.”

“What’s up, Nym,” Aernduil sighed, leaning against the bar while placing his head in his hands, “the usual, please.”

The bartender, a male fairy, made a drink that was absent of alcohol, a red liquid in a mason jar glass with a lemon on the rim, a few small cherries topping the drink, and a black straw.

“Thank you,” Aernduil said with a large smile, “what would you like Finnian?”  
“Our alcohol of the night is bourbon,” Nym remarked, “so if you don’t like bourbon, you probably want something without alcohol, moreover, the drink of the night is Sweet Cherry Bourbon Bomb.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Finnian remarked.

Nym nodded, before making Finnian’s drink before presenting him with a coral liquid topped with mint and a cherry in a short glass. Nym went off to tend to more patrons as Finnian and Aernduil sat at the bar.

Finnian felt comfortable, it was odd, he hated cowards and would rather be floating in his pool, but he was enjoying this.

Aernduil tapped his shoulder catching his attention, “Look over there,” Aernduil said, pointing at a wall tapestry on one of the far walls, “the incubus in front of the tapestry with the knocker.”

Finnian’s eyes landed on the demon Aernduil spoke of, an incubus with his lips upon the neck of the knocker that was also mentioned, “he’s cheating on his partner, after telling them he was going to be monogamous.”

Finnian raised an eyebrow at the pixie sitting next to him, who wore a smirk on his face, “he came into my shop and ask for a potion for fertility, and went on and on about the how wanted to get the knocker pregnant so he didn’t have to deal with his partner anymore.”

“Fucking dick,” Finnian muttered.

“Yup, Aernduil sighed popping the P, “I gave him water with dye in it.”

Finnian laughed, “say what did you get to drink?”

“Cherry lemonade,” Aernduil simply replied, “wanna try it?”

Finnian was taken aback, but accepted the offer and took a small sip, “no alcohol?”  
“Can’t have it.”

“Hm?”

“Pixies are one of the weakest creatures, simple things like alcohol and certain types of food can mess up our bodies, so we stay away from alcohol and vegan, for the most part,” Aernduil explained.

“Well, at least we know I’m not a pixie,” Finnian chuckled.

Aernduil rolled his eyes with a laugh, and before he could begin another sentence, what seemed like a blob flew past and landed on the stage. A pale pink skin, pink-eyed, and blond hair fairy dawning, a pink crop top and green open skirt, that made her look like a flower, floated above the stage.

“Good evening everyone,” she remarked with a large smile, “I am happy to present my lovely wife, Daenestra, the Mermaid Goddess!”

Everyone clapped and cheered as curtains pulled back revealing a lavender-haired, mermaid with pink skin covered in blue and purple scales and piercing emerald eyes, draped in a light blue, flowy, dress.

“Yavanna and Daenestra, Vanna the owner of the Tavern and Dae is the entertainment,” Aernduil explained as Daenestra began to dance.

It was a pleasure to watch Daenestra dance to the sounds of strings, and became even more entertaining, watching her backflip into a glass pool at the back of the stage.

“Wow,” Finnian gasped.

The boy, who normally felt comfortable floating alone in a pool was smiling in public. He felt safe as if the setting he found himself in was better than the city he called home, and that the stranger he sat beside was nothing more than a close friend. He seemed relaxed for the first time in a long time. He felt that moreover when walking Aernduil back to his shop at the end of the night.

“You can come in for a cup of coffee, if you wanna sober up,” Aernduil remarked, “Paradise may not be open, but my paradise is a different story.”

Finnian chuckled, “I would love to take you up on the offer, but it’s late,” he sighed, with blush dusting his cheeks.

“Time is an illusion,” Aernduil said with a smirk.

“Yet, Paradise opens at eight and I doubt you would close your shop just because you have a man in your bed upstairs,” Finnian remarked.

Aernduil chuckled, “I never said I wouldn’t.”

Finnian sighed was a soft smile, interwinding Aernduil’s slim fingers with his own, “I want to, I really want to.”

“But?”

“But I,” Finnian sighed unable to find his words.

Aernduil unlocked their hands cupping Finnian’s placing a kiss on his forehead, “I’ll quit pushing,” he sighed.

“Thank you.”

Aernduil kissed Finnian’s cheek, “I’ll always be at Paradise if you need, a distraction from your investigation.”

Finnian blushed once more, “I will definitely need a distraction after I start.”

Aernduil chuckled again, “goodnight, Finnian,” he sighed.

“Goodnight Aernduil,” Finnian muttered, softly as Aernduil let him go.

Finnian watched him walk inside before he left for his cottage. He walked inside, placing his cloak on the coatrack, and went to get a glass of water.

“Where were you?”

It was the voice of Avery, their sibling, “out,” Finnian responded, “I thought you were sleeping in a bed.”

“I found the couch more comfortable,” Avery sighed as they sat up on the couch, “now where were you.”

“I was at a Tavern,” he replied as he began to walk to the room he claimed, “I was people watching and I wanted a drink, don’t worry about it.”

Avery rolled their eyes as they laid back down, hoping that their brother’s lack of an explanation was because he was tired, hearing the door to a bedroom shut.

Although as the Bookstone-Corals sibling fell to slumber, we set eyes on the Bookstone-Corals home, where Indigo was wrapped in satin sheets and Calvin was exiting the bathroom.

“Calvin,” Indigo sighed, eyes following her large husband as he walked from the bathroom door to the closet.

“Angel eyes,” Calvin sighed back, looking over at his wife, who was sprawled out on their bed, her body swimming in their sheets, “what’s wrong.”

“I’m worried.”

“Of course, but they made it, all they have to do now is investigate.”

“But,” Indigo sighed, “what if-”

“No, no, no,” Calvin replied, “stop with the what-ifs. They’re our children, angel eyes, if anything they will be there longer than they need to be.”

“I guess,” she huffed, “Noelle thinks they are going there for a week.”

“A week,” Calvin laughed, “Our children are intelligent, but they will be there for longer than a week.”

“I just want them to be okay.”

Calvin fixed his clothes before walking over to their bed, and cupping Indigo’s chin in his hand, “I do too,” he remarked, “and they will be.”

Indigo smiled, “I gotta go to work,” he sighed, kissing her forehead.

Calvin left their shared bedroom only to get to the staircase to have Indigo yelled, “you’re forgetting something!”

He reentered the bedroom, seeing his wife sitting up at the edge of the bed holding his glasses, “thank you.”

“But first,” Indigo remarked, cocking an eyebrow.

Calvin smirked, kissing her softly, before leaving once again, “love you.”

“Love you too,” Indigo replied, before sighing.

She flopped back down laying atop, now cold, sheets, greeted by the soft face of the snowball colored cat curled up beside her, “the day he retries will be a fun day indeed, ay Salem, “ Indigo sighed, starching the cat’s head.


	4. Chapter Three

Eight-thirty, in the morning, not one not three, eight-thirty and Finnian woke up… well rested, “how,” he muttered to himself.

He shook his head before getting out of bed, washing his face, and making his way to the kitchen. Where he found both his siblings, Noelle sitting at the dining table, eating, and Avery at the stove, cooking.

“Holy-” Noelle remarked, dropping her spoon, “Finnian, you don’t look like death.”

Avery laughed, “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

“Well, look, he’s even smiling!”

Avery whipped around seeing her brother, in fact, smiling without heavy bags under his eyes, that had become routine, “oh my god, sis, this isn’t our brother.”

Finnian laughed, “yeah, you’re not our brother,” Noelle chuckled.

Avery walked over to him smacking their hands on his face, “who are you?!”  
“Finnian Thorn Bookstone-Corals,” he remarked prying his sibling's hands off his face, “your twin brother!”

“You say that,” Avery scoffed, cocking an eyebrow at him as they backed away slowly, “but I don’t believe you.”

Finnian expelled a loud laugh, “is it really so hard to believe that I’m just happy.”

“You’re never happy,” Avery remarked.

“I am too,” Finnian replied, leaning against the corner counter, “Noelle, help me out.”

“Avery is right,” Noelle sighed, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in, “but it’s not that you are never happy, more that you never show it.”

“Well, here I am happy now, and I am showing it,” Finnian sighed.

“So, what has made you so happy,” Avery asked.

“That is none of your business.”

The phone began to ring as Avery and Finnian argued back and forth leaving Noelle to answer the phone, “guys,” Noelle said softly, hanging up the phone.

Her younger siblings didn’t listen, “GUYS!”

“What,” they both remarked.

“We have a dead body.”

They jumped in action, heading to a hidden part of Midforest Falls where they came upon a dead body on a bed of flowers, with its lower half-covered with a tarp.

“Why is my body covered in a tarp,” Avery expelled, rushing to the body.

One of the elders of the village stood not too far from the body, “I apologize for starting out the morning like this,” they remarked, naturally hidden by their hooded cloak.

“What is the situation,” Finnian asked.

“Atera, He was found by a teenage couple, it seems he died of blood loss and…”

“Holy Christ, he has no junk,” Avery yelled.

“What?!”

“Someone cut the parts clean off,” Avery remarked, “come look!”

“I would rather not,” Noelle sighed, as Finnian walked over to his sibling who was examining the body.

“They’re right,” Finnian replied, “could he have died from anything else?”

“Possibly,” Avery remarked, “I’ll have to run some tests if you really wanna know.”

“How long is that going to take,” Noelle questioned.

“A couple of days, maybe, since we’re here,” they replied, “You two wanna see if he died of drugs or the blood loss, right?”

“Yeah,” Finnian and Noelle answered.

“Will looking at these cuts, I would bet blood loss,” Avery sighed, before dropping the tarp.

“We also found this on top of the body,” the elder remarked pulling out a thin circle object.

“Next time,” Avery sighed, “don’t mess with the body, please!”

Finnian took the object from the creature’s hand, “It is a coaster,” he sighed, “and I know where it came from.”

“So, where are we going,” Noelle asked.

Finnian put the coaster between his fingers and smirked at his sister, “the Fairy Dust Tavern.”  
He now stood in front of the same tavern he was in the night before, with his sister by his side, “Is this where you went last night,” Noelle asked.

“So, Avery told you,” Finnian posed, walking to the door.

“We worry about you,” she sighed.

“I understand,” Finnian replied, at a low tone, “everything will make sense, later.”

“Finn-”

“Just be glad I’m happy and well-rested,” Finnian remarked.

Noelle rolled her eyes as Finnian made his way to the bar, “Finnian was it,” Nym asked.

“Yeah, Nym, right?”

Nym nodded, “so do you really want to get drunk at… almost ten in the morning?”

“No, I came here to ask some questions,” Finnian answered, “why did we find this on a dead body.”

Finnian slid the coaster across the bar top, “no idea,” Nym replied, taking the coaster in his nimble fingers.

“It can’t just be an I don’t know,” Noelle remarked, “is this your bar’s coaster.”

“Not my bar, but yes the caster came from here,” Nym remarked narrowing his eyes at her, “ wait a minute, who are you?”

“Noelle, I’m his sister.”

“Noted,” Nym replied before shaking his head, “wait, why are you two here?!”

Noelle pulled out a badge, “we are Special Operatives, here to solve the increase of crime in your lovely village.”

Nym sighed, “I bit, Aernduil would hate to hear that you’ve murdered someone,” Finnian mentioned.

Nym narrowed his eyes at the boy, “you don’t know him.”

“I mean he is very sweet.”

Nym sighed again, “look I live for my job, I would never murder someone, or have the time for it.”

“What’s going on here,” a soft feminine voice asked.

Finnian and Noelle turned to see Yavanna, looking just as she did the night before, Daenestra at her side and a woman with brown eyes, dark skin, and a bald head, dawning a gray jumpsuit with a lilac half skirt beside the mermaid.

“Hello, I’m Noelle and this is Finnian,” Noelle remarked, “who are you three?”

“Yavanna is the owner,” Finnian stated, pointing at the fairy, “Daenestra is her wife, and I don’t know who that is.”

“I’m Cysten,” the creature replied, sitting down at the end of the bar, “I am Daenestra security.”

“She needs security,” Finnian asked.

“There are a lot of dicks in the world,” Cysten remarked.

Noelle sighed rubbing her forehead, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to discuss security details. We found this coaster on a deceased body, a coaster from this tavern, so please explain to me why this coaster was on a man’s dead body.”

“Our patrons are allowed to take the coasters,” Daenestra answered in a low and tired voice.

“It is like an incentive almost,” Yavanna began to explain, messing with liquor bottles on the back shelf, “they bring the coasters back, they get a free drink at the top of the night.”

“Interesting business model,” Finnian muttered, “so, anyone could have killed our victim.”

Nym, Yavanna, Daenestra, and Cysten all nodded, “who was the victim,” Daenestra asked.

“Honey,” Yavanna sighed.

“Atera, we know very little about him,” Finnian answered, “although…”

“Finn please,” Noelle interrupted.

“His genitals were…” Finnian choked on his own words, “removed.”

“Finnian,” Noelle sighed.

“Atera was a regular,” Nym sighed, “He always came in with a coaster -this coaster- and he always left drunk.”

“But he was also an asshole,” Cysten scoffed.

“How,” Finnian remarked.

“He would try to touch Daenestra when she would get off stage,” Cysten answered.

“Oh, yeah,” Finnian replied, “total asshole energy, wouldn’t you say so, sis.”

Noelle nodded, “Anyone could have killed him,” Cysten sighed, “but I am not complaining that he’s gone.”

Yavanna cleared her throat, “I believe that’s enough,” she sighed.

“Vanna,” Daenestra sighed, “they need our help.”

Yavanna laced her fingers with her wife’s, “The four of us haven’t done anything.”

“I haven’t come to that-”

“We’ll leave you for the time being,” Noelle interrupted her brother, “Come on, Finnian, Avery probably has some much-needed information for us.”

The siblings left for the door and walked down the stone streets of the village, “what are you thinking,” Finnian asked.

“Something is going on in that tavern,” Noelle sighed, “I just don’t know what.”

“Then tonight we go and observe.”

“Merveilleuse idea,” Noelle said, with a smile.

Noelle and Finnian walked past Paradise which Finnian glanced at. He saw Aernduil at the counter having a conversation with a customer that seemed to be upset.

“I’ll catch up with you, sœur,” Finnian muttered.

“Be at the cottage,” Noelle replied with a sigh, “If you don’t come back in an hour, I will be hunting for you!”

Finnian didn’t reply as he walked into Paradise, “-sir I wish I could help you, but I have none in stock,” Aernduil voiced.

“How do you not have Aloe Vera?!”

Finnian had resigned himself to a bookshelf, looking, at the many items before glancing at Aernduil, seeing the sweat on his brow, and his awkward smile.

“Sir, it is a popular herb,” Aernduil uttered, “my new stock comes in two days if you were to come back…”

“I CAN’T COME BACK!”

The man lunged at Aernduil, making the pixie jerk backward and his back hit the wall. Although the man couldn’t make it across the counter. Finnian had used his magic, the same type as his mother’s, that pastel and dark mist, making a whip-like tool to keep the man in place.

“Sir, you heard the lovely pixie,” Finnian scoffed, “you gotta come back.”

The man opened his mouth to protest, but Finnian stopped him giving him a nice, light, shocked as he used lightning magic on this enchanted whip. As the man laid on the floor, the whip disappeared, and Finnian expelled the pastel smoke from his mouth just as his mother would do.

“Are you okay?”

“I know you were a mage,” Aernduil remarked, “thank you.”

“No problem,” Finnian replied, “you should really have some way to defend yourself.”

“I do,” Aernduil muttered, “I just didn’t think he would jump across my counter.

Finnian chuckled as he stepped over the man to get to the counter, “So Aloe Vera?”

“Oh my god,” Aernduil chuckled groaning, “I can’t help that it is a popular herb next to Spearmint and common Sage, Aloe is my best seller.”

Finnian rested against the counter as Aernduil began to miss with bottles on the shelf, behind the counter, “I would think your best sellers would be something like lavender or peppermint.”

“Well, spearmint is high in antioxidants, and Sage is used for digestive problems,” the pixie boy explained, “spearmint even has insect repellent properties.”

“Mhm,” Finnian sighed, enjoying hearing Aernduil speak, “tell me more.”

Aernduil chuckled looking over his shoulder, “the reason Aloe is so popular is because of its antibacterial, antiviral, and antiseptic properties.”

“I could listen to you speak about herbs for ages,” Finnian remarked, softly.

“Oh,” Aernduil uttered, turning his gaze to Finnian. Holding the same pose as Finnian with his elbows resting against the counter, “I feel like it would get boring.”

“I don’t think you can be boring,” Finnian replied.

“You don’t know me,” Aernduil remarked chuckling.

“You don’t know me either,” Finnian added, “and you were more than willing to have sex with me.”

“I offered for you to sober up,” Aernduil faked gasped.

“Oh really, so the whole: “time is an illusion,” and implying that you would keep your shop close for a man in your bed, would have been me sobering up.”

Aernduil laughed, “I could close the store if…”

Aernduil took hold of Finnian’s hand rubbing his knuckles with his thumb. Making Finnian blush, his eyes half-open, “I would love to…”

“but,” Aernduil asked his hands in holding a soft grasp on the detective’s.

“I’m investigating,” Finnian answered.

Aernduil smiled at the fact that Finnian couldn’t look him in the eyes, “look at me,” the pixie sighed, taking Finnian’s chin in his free hand, “I should not be the first thing on your mind. Your investigation should be the first thing.”

“But I want you to be the only thing on my mind,” Finnian admitted.

Aernduil chuckled out a sigh, “I shouldn’t! Go investigate and if you have the time, come back and get to know me… in any way you like.”

Finnian sighed as the shop owner let go of his face, “I know it’s horrible,” Aernduil sighed, before kissing his hand, “go investigate, I’ll be here.”

“Only because you said it nicely,” Finnian muttered, blushing heavily before he turned to leave.

“Your cute, when you’re flustered,” Aernduil remarked.

Finnian blushed even more opening the door, “and your sexy when you talk about herbs,” he scoffed back, before quickly leaving.

The Special Operative rushed to his cottage, with a blushing face. He walked into the cottage, hearing his siblings hold a conversation.

“Oh, Finn,” Avery exclaimed, hopping out of the chair they sat in, “look!”

Avery handed him a piece of loose-leaf paper that looked like an autopsy report, although in graphite, not printer ink.

“Our victim died of blood loss in the groin area,” Avery explained, “although, he had a hefty amount of drugs in his system.”

“Can you expand on the drugs,” Finnian questioned.

“It was as if someone took every over the counter drug and combined them all.”

“So, he would have died of an overdose.”

“No,” Avery replied, “it was a very low dose, like extremely low dose, like if it were a painkiller it wouldn’t even work dose.”

Finnian sighed, “it’s completely different from all the other victims.”

“More or less,” Noelle replied.  
“Alright,” Finnian remarked, at a loud volume, “tonight, we go, and people watch, from when that tavern opens to when it closes!”

And, of course, that is what happened! All three of the Bookstone-Corals children in the lively tavern. Finnian at the bar, Noelle resigned to a corner, and Avery speaking to many different people.

Finnian was at a loss, a boy who was normally proficient at his job, couldn’t piece his case together, plus the added distraction of the pixie man always in the back of his mind, didn’t help. He almost wished for his mother to be by his side, to help him. Finnian looked to the stage watching Daenestra dance, her movements slower than the night before. The mermaid seemed on the verge of collapse, leading her to finish her set early.

“Does this happen regularly, Nym,” Finnian asked, the fairy cleaning the bar top.

“More information for your investigation,” Nym scoffed.

“Not really,” Finnian admitted, “curious.”

“It happens more than it should,” Nym sighed, “she is always tired, but she continues to perform.”

Finnian nodded as Nym slid a drink in front of him, “On the house, from Yavanna, because you didn’t cause trouble.”

“That’s… nice.”

Nym chuckled, turning to other patrons as Finnian turned back to the crowd, the drink in his hand was clear and in a tall glass, more commonly used for champagne with a lemon slice floating in the liquid. Although the drink tasted faintly of gin and champagne, it tasted extremely bitter and off, not like a classic French 75. Finnian thought nothing of the bitterness putting the taste on his own tastebuds. Although within 30 minutes Finnian was proven wrong. His body became hot & heavy, the room began to spin, and his mind became covered in clouds.

“Finn,” Avery asked, seeing their brother in his ill state, “are you okay, or drunk?”

“I-I,” Finnian sighed, “I need to go back.”

“So, you’re not okay,” Avery said, concerned.

Finnian didn’t say anything, tripping over himself as he left. His body seemed to freeze as he passed Paradise. The feeling of being drawn to the shop that he had once before, he had once again. With his feelings, his legs moved far before his brain leading him to pound on the door. Aernduil, of course, rushed to the door, given the noise, and swung it open upon seeing Finnian in his state, through the glass.

“Are you that drunk,” Aernduil explained with a laugh, “I don’t really like to sleep with a drunk-”

“I need your help,” Finnian sighed, breathlessly before collapsing into Aernduil’s arms.

“Jesus, your skin is on fire!”

“Aernduil… please…”

Aernduil shook his head picking up the mage boy and carrying him from the shop floor, to his backroom, and upstairs to his loft. The shop owner was ready to turn in for the night, the long silk paints and open short robe indicated that. Finnian never moved his eyes from the taller man, watching him from a dining chair, as he grabbed a bowl of water and cloth, while quickly making tea.

“Tulsi tea,” Aernduil muttered, placing the cool cloth on Finnian’s forehead with one hand and placing the cup to his lips, “it should help with the fever.”

Finnian drank the tea, which didn’t aid him, leaving him even more out of breath than before, “tell me what happened, so I can help you.”

“I was just that the tavern,” Finnian huffed, “I was drin…”

Aernduil placed his hand on top of the detective’s, making him stop talking, with his half-closed gray eyes flick between Aernduil’s lilac eyes and his plump lips.

“What,” Aernduil asked, his voice sounding of velvet.

“I need you.”

“Finnian, I don’t think now is the time-”

Finnian leaned forward, causing his chair to fall backward and him landing on his knees, “Aernduil, I need you,” Finnian practically whined.

Aernduil turned his head blushing, feeling Finnian claw at his robe, “not like this.”

“I am begging you, Aernduil,” Finnian cried, tears falling from his eyes, “you are the only remedy I can think of! I need this pain to go away!”

Aernduil sighed, pulling Finnian up into his lap, “you’re okay with this?”

“Yes, just please, I can’t…”

Aernduil sighed once again, “then I’m doing this my way,” he muttered, before talking Finnian’s lips with his own.

Within in a moment of pure unrated euphoria, all against a firm mattress as the scent of Lavender and Jasmine collided, fingers intertwined as the act continued. Everything left Finnian’s head spinning more than it already was, although he felt slightly better from when he had arrived. He could feel the bed move, a sign of Aernduil moving. The mage detective was upset at the pixie’s movements but was unable to move in his exhausted state. Aernduil was soon to come back, placing the cool cloth on Finnian’s forehead, before lying beside him.

“Sleep,” Aernduil muttered, placing a kiss on his temple.


	5. Chapter Four

Now this is normal, waking up before the sun rose, in a bed he didn’t know, beside a man, he found more than attractive, yeah, this was more than normal.

“What time is it,” Finnian muttered, sitting up.

“Too early.”

Finnian looked beside him, Aernduil laying on his stomach, his head laying on his left arm, and his right hand holding Finnian’s, “sorry, I’m going to head back.”

“No, you’re not,” Aernduil remarked, pulling Finnian back down into the mattress, “I would like it if you stayed.”

Finnian sighed, getting comfortable beside Aernduil. It was calming being wrapped in Aernduil’s arms, in a weird way he felt like a child again, sleeping next to his parents during a thunderstorm. He enjoyed the feeling of being next to someone, who was warm. Finnian slowly placed his hands on the small of Aernduil’s back, making him flinch.

“Are you okay,” Finnian asked, looking up at the tall pixie, “what did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong,” Aernduil sighed, “I just…”

“Just?”

Aernduil sat up turning his back to the younger man, showing him the long wine-colored scars in the middle of his back, “this is why I flinched.”

“What happened?”

“My father took my wings,” he answered, “after I saw him…”

“Saw him what,” Finnian asked, placing a hand on Aernduil’s shoulder.

“Kill,” Aernduil answered.

There was a moment of silence, “you know of Cirdan, correct.”

“Somewhat,” Finnian replied, “wait.”

“I am is son, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing,” Finnian remarked, “Okay, you’re his son, but he obviously has no influence on you.”

Aernduil stayed silent, “I mean you are sitting next to the son of the man he kidnapped, and the woman he wanted to study,” Finnian chuckled.

Aernduil smiled, “did you ever meet her?”

“Your mother? No, I saw her and your father a lot, Cirdan told me to stay away from them, once they arrived in Castlebell. I would even say that your parents don’t even know I exist,” Aernduil admitted, resting his head on Finnian's shoulder, “they were very beautiful.”

Finnian smiled, “I mean, they made you,” blush crossed the mage boy’s face.

“You should get more sleep, Aernduil,” Finnian yawned.

“Please stay,” the pixie yawned, laying back down.

Finnian followed him, lying beside him, allowing Aernduil the return them to the position they laid in before, “since you asked so nicely.”

Aernduil let out a soft chuckle, kissing strands of the turquoise hair that rested on Finnian’s forehead, and before long they were asleep again.

The mage boy woke up to an empty bed with the sun in his face. He raised up, feeling sore and hazy. He slowly got up and searched for his clothes before heading downstairs.

“Aernduil, you have to help me!”

Finnian could hear a feminine voice pleading for Aernduil’s help, and given Finnian’s nature to snoop, he did so.

“Yavanna, I’ve told you many times, there is nothing I can do anymore,” Aernduil explained as he stood behind his counter.

Finnian silently muttered Yavanna’s name, wondering why she would be in Paradise pleading with Aernduil.

“The drugs for Dae are no longer working,” Yavanna cried, “you are the one that pulled the death card, you need to help me!”

“Yavanna, I’ve told you many of times the death card doesn’t mean death, upright could just be the end of a cycle or cha-”

“It was reversed,” Yavanna yelled, slamming her hands on the countertop.

“That could mean fear of change, stagnancy, or the repeating negative patterns,” Aernduil replied.

“Aernduil, please!”

“I don’t know what you want me to do,” Aernduil remarked, “if the drugs you are getting from the cities aren’t even helping, my herbs will do nothing!”

Yavanna swiftly left, leaving Aernduil to run his fingers through his hair, out of frustration, and Finnian come from the back room, “Is everything okay?”

Aernduil smiled, “yeah.”

“I heard yelling, I thought I had to come to save you again,” Finnian chuckled, playing innocent.

Aernduil rolled his eyes, “everything is fine.”

“Can I ask you something,” Finnian posed, hopping up on the shop counter to sit, “how well do you know Nym?”

“He’s my best friend, one of the first people that helped me when I moved from Castlebell,” Aernduil answered, “why?”

“Do you think he would kill anyone?”

“What?! No!”

“Not even if that pers-”

“NO,” Aernduil remarked loudly, “you suspect him of the murders.”

“Kinda.”

“Finnian!”

“I don’t know him,” Finnian remarked.

“You don’t know me either,” Aernduil scoffed, “Nym, wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“He is the bartender, at the tavern with coasters that patrons can take, I found a coaster on a dead body,” Finnian explained, “it would make sense for him to frame it like one of the patrons killed my victim.”

“It is possible, but Nym doesn’t have the time,” Aernduil added, “he works at Fairy Dust afternoons and nights, plus he is there most mornings, he wouldn’t have the time to commit the murder that just happened, and make it back to that tavern, even with his wings.”

Finnian sat in silence for a moment, “please tell me you have other suspects.”

“I do,” Finnian sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“If it will make you feel any better I will talk to him when I get done with my errands,” Aernduil stated.

Finnian cocked an eyebrow, “really?”

“I have suspected something is going on in the tavern for a while now, maybe Nym will know something.”

“And he’ll talk to you,” Finnian added.

“Exactly,” Aernduil exclaimed, standing in between Finnian’s legs, “I will take you out to dinner tonight and tell you what Nym tells me, okay?”

“It seems a little late to swoon me over dinner,” Finnian joked.

Aernduil kissed Finnian’s nose, “there is a nice place across from the tavern, meet there around seven.”

“Sounds lovely.”

Finnian kissed the tall pixie for a short moment before a clock chime broke them apart, “shit! My siblings!”

“Go, lover boy, I’ll be around,” Aernduil joked.

Finnian rolled his eyes heading for the door, “Seven!”

“Seven,” Aernduil remarked, with a smirk painted on his face.

Finnian raced to his cottage entering seeing his siblings pacing around, “FINNIAN,” Avery yelled, “WHAT THE HELL MAN!”

Noelle and Avery rushed over to their brother, “Where were you?! Why were you gone for so long?! Why didn’t you tell Avery where you were going,” Noelle rambled, as she examined Finnian as their mother would.

“I’m pretty sure I was drugged last night,” Finnian mumbled out, pulling himself away from his sister's grasp.

“WHAT!”

“So, wait, how did it work,” Avery asked.

“Avery,” Noelle exclaimed.

“Noelle, he’s obviously fine,” Avery replied, “the only thing that happened is that he was missing for a few hours. What happened to you?”

“The only effect seems to be that my sex drive was heightened … extremely,” Finnian answered.

“So, you had sex with a stranger,” Avery asked.

“Kinda.”

“Finnian,” Noelle scoffed.

“I was safe,” Finnian declared, “I’m sorry, I felt horrible! I don’t have a life partner, at the moment, as you do.”

Noelle was taken aback by his comment, “I’m concerned!”

“More like condescending,” Finnian scoffed, looking away from his siblings, “I get it: I don’t have the best love life, but I was in pain and I found a way to relieve my pain.”

“I’m sorry,’’ Noelle uttered.

“Who was it,” Avery asked.

“Aernduil, he does Tarot card readings in a shop called Paradise,” Finnian answered, avoiding eye contact with the both of them.

“Okay, if you say you were safe then I believe you, and I mean you didn’t die so,” Avery supposed, “honestly you having sex isn’t the problem, it is the fact you were drugged.”

“So, who did it,” Noelle exhaled, rubbing her temples.

“Maybe, Yavanna,” Avery posed, “She does own the tavern.”

“She was acting odd yesterday,” Noelle added, “her discomfort with us questioning them was very apparent.”

“She was also at Aernduil’s shop this morning,” Finnian mentioned, “she told Aernduil he needed to help her because the drugs for Daenestra weren’t working.”

“But Daenestra didn’t seem sick last night,” Avery noted.

“The way she danced last night wasn’t like the night before, she was slower and her set ended earlier, plus she looked like she was going to pass out,” Finnian commented.

“So, what do we do,” Avery inquired.

“I want to wait,” Finnian answered, getting questioning looks from his siblings before he put his hands up in defense, “Aernduil said he would talk to Nym. They are good friends and when I questioned Aernduil about him, he said that Nym would not and could not commit the murder.”

“But what about the drugging,” Noelle probed, “he is the bartender, he is a perfect person to drug the patrons of the bar.”

“I want to wait,” Finnian countered, again, “Aernduil said he would talk to Nym, I would like to know what he says.”

During the time of the siblings' conversations, Aernduil was finishing, his errands, leaving him to enter Fairy Dust.

“Aernduil,” Yavanna observed from behind the bar.

“Yavanna,” Aernduil commented, making it to the bar counter, “is Nym around?”

Yavanna continued to place bottles of alcohol on the back shelf without looking at Aernduil, “he went home…his mother was having issues.”

Aernduil sighed, “I really need to talk to him,” he muttered, “no matter, alright.”

Aernduil turned for the door, seeing Cysten sitting at a table close to the door with her scythe beside her, “Cysten, sorry, I didn’t see you,” Aernduil stated.

“No problem” Cysten replied.

Aernduil smiled, heading for the door before Cysten stopped him with her scythe, “but you are not going anywhere.”

Although no one had noticed Aernduil’s kidnapping until Finnian stood outside their meeting place and the pixie hadn’t shown. For a few minutes, Finnian thought it was him and his actions from the morning, but his detective brain was turning, “could he have been kidnapped,” Finnian asked, himself.

He pondered for a moment, before seeing Nym walking to a closed Fairy Dust, “Nym!”

“Oh, sorry to say Finnian, but the Tavern is closed,” Nym chuckled.

“Have you seen Aernduil, since this Afternoon,” Finnian asked.

“No,” Nym replied, “I haven’t seen him at all today.”

Finnian's eyes widened a bit, “I wasn’t even at the bar today, Yavanna told me she was closing the bar this evening, I just came to lock the doors.”

“Aernduil said he would stop by and talk to you… for me,” Finnian said.

“Well, I haven’t seen him today,” Nym replied, shrugging.

“Can you let me into Fairy Dust, for a moment,” Finnian asked.

“For your Investigation,” Nym posed, opening the door.

“More or less.”

Finnian stepped inside seeing nothing out of the ordinary, besides a large and full, paper bag on the bar top. He examined the items in the bag, looking for clues, “is there anything here that Yavanna would buy for the bar?”

“No,” Nym sighed, “That looks like stuff Aernduil… would buy… holy shit!”

“Where is Yavanna,” Finnian asked, his voice frantic.

“Normally upstairs,” Nym answered, gesturing to the stairs behind the bar locked off by a gate.

Finnian jumped over the gate and raced up the stairs, hoping that he would find Aernduil sipping tea with friends, although there was nothing, but a normal lofted room.

“He can’t be…” Nym muttered, reaching the top of the stairs.

Finnian ran from the tavern, back to the cottage, his heavy footsteps alerting his siblings he had returned, “back so soon,” Avery laughed.

“Finnian,” Noelle asked, seeing her brother’s upset expression, “what’s wrong.”

“Aernduil is missing.”


	6. Chapter Five

“Wait, how do you know he is missing,” Noelle asked.

“Did he not show up to your date,” Avery asked.

“He didn’t,” Finnian answered, with a sad face, “he went to the tavern like he said he would, but Nym was isn’t there, Yavanna may have kidnapped him.”

“Okay, but where did she take him,” Noelle posed, “she wouldn’t keep him in the tavern.”

“I have no idea where she would keep him though,” Finnian quivered.

Noelle and Avery could see the fear in his eyes, “it will be okay,” Avery stated in a sad tone, “we’ll find Aernduil.”

“The best place to look would be the tavern,” Noelle commented, “we’ll find some clues as to where Yavanna maybe.”

Noelle and Finnian nodded, as they gathered their things and went back to the tavern. Finnian’s mind was clouded with dark thoughts about Aernduil and what he could possibly be going through as his siblings and himself raided the Fairy Dust Tavern for clues.

“It’s weird,” Avery muttered, biting their fingernails as their eyes scanned the document in their hands, “I would have thought that mystical creatures wouldn’t have to do taxes.”

“What is the saying,” Noelle questioned, “life, death, and taxes?”

“Oh, look at this,” Avery said, “last month, Yavanna spent 808,908 silver dollars… somewhere.”

“Could it be for the tavern,” Finnian asked, making his way towards his twin.

“No,” Avery answered, pointing to a column of text labeled for the bar, “all of the purchases to the tavern are marked, see.”

“We have been up here for an hour, and that is the only thing we are able to find,” Finnian exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

“This is a start,” Avery stated.

“To what!”

“Well for one it helps with our case,” Noelle mumbled.

“That’s not important right now,” Finnian yelled.

“We know,” Avery remarked, placing themselves in front of Finnian, “it seems what we need to do now, is ask around and see if anyone knows where Yavanna would have gone. I’ll go with you and Noelle can gather up the papers and head back to the house. Does that sound okay?”

Finnian hung his head with a small nod, leaving the tavern with his twin, beginning to question anyone and everyone that was out, during the late evening. Which, of course, was useless.

“Finn, we’ll find him,” Avery sighed, seeing their brother’s depressed expression.

“God hates me,” Finnian muttered, resting his forehead on his folded hands as he sat on a bench, “I was finally getting a piece of true happiness, then it gets taken away.”

“Finnian,” Avery remarked, sitting down next to him, and pulling him into a hug, “don’t think like that.”

“How else am I supposed to think,” Finnian expelled.

He was truly at a loss, the detective normally so composed and ruthless was falling apart. It felt as if he was drowning, and his pessimistic and cynical self was thinking some extremely dark thoughts that he hadn’t thought of in a long while!

Avery could feel their brother shake, “I… I think it’s time we go back,” They stammered out, not knowing how to deal with their brother’s emotions.

Finnian nodded weakly as Avery was his support leading him back to the cottage, where Noelle sat with a mountain of documents from the tavern.

“Why don’t you take a nap and we’ll look over everything,” Noelle said in a soft and concerned tone.

Finnian just nodded, heading to the room he had claimed to cry, while his siblings were left to worry in the living room.

“Have you found anything,” Avery asked, with an air of franticness.

“Not really,” Noelle answered with a sigh, “I mean there are bills mark for another house, but I believe that is Cysten’s home that Yavanna may be paying for.”

Avery muttered, “do you think he is alive?”

“I hope he is,” Noelle sighed, not looking away from the many papers, “but there is a very high chance that he isn’t.”

“Noelle,” Avery gasped.

“What do you want me to say?!”

“Anything, but the guy that our brother loves is probably dead!”

“Telling Finnian that Aernduil is without a doubt alive will crush him if it is untrue,” Noelle expressed.

Avery narrowed their eyes at Noelle, “Your reality seems horrific!”

The true difference between the loving siblings was their outlook on the world. Of course, Noelle, one remarked to be a perfect combination of their parents, would be a realist. Although in wary times, Noelle became more pessimistic, more so even at this moment. Maybe it was because Finnian wasn’t thinking clearly enough to make a horrid, pessimistic, comment, like normal. So, like most things, she took up that role.

Noelle didn’t wish for Aernduil to be dead, far from it! In a way, she wanted to thank him for pulling her brother out of his darkest place.

“I am just thinking realistically,” Noelle spoke, quietly.

“No.” Avery said firmly, “you're being a pessimist!”

Avery evermore the optimist, the genderfluid adult was too kind for their own good. Avery knew that their situation was horrible, but, as their father would do, they wanted to look to the bright side.

“If it were Q you would be thinking the same way I am,” Avery scoffed.

“Stop,” Noelle declared, indignantly, throwing the papers in her hand on the table, sitting back in her chair, and pointing a finger at Avery, “do not go there!”

“But I’m right,” Avery sighed, rubbing their forehead, “I’m done arguing with you, we are wasting time-fighting.”

Noelle nodded, both of them continued to work until the clock struck midnight and their brother came out of his room, “did you get any sleep,” his sister asked.

“Not really,” Finnian uttered, “I mostly cried. Anyway, did you find anything?”

“Very little,” Avery sighed, “there is evidence for the drug crimes, but not for the murders.”

“and there are no clues on where Yavanna would be holding Aernduil,” Noelle added.

Finnian sighed, looking at the pile of papers on the coffee table, he wished to start another sentence but was interrupted by the phone in the cottage ringing, leaving the mage boy to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Intersection in front of the tavern, right now,” Cysten instructed, “or I kill Aernduil.”

The line then went dead, and Finnian raced out of the cottage leaving his siblings confused and yelling after him. Once he made it to the intersection, he saw Cysten standing in the middle, holding her scythe in one hand and a rope connected to Aernduil’s wrist binds in the other, while a horse stood not too far behind them.

“Yavanna sends her best,” Cysten remarked.

Aernduil, mentally, was not doing well and seemed to only be covered in bruises. Finnian took a second to breathe, Aernduil was alive, “why am I here,” he asked. Perhaps not the right thing to say, although Finnian still wasn’t thinking straight.

“Yavanna has a proposition,” Cysten answered.

“And you are the messenger,” Finnian scoffed.

“You for him,” she proposed, “so you can be studied.”

“Finnian,” Avery and Noelle yelled finally catching up to their brother.

“You need to choose,” Cysten stated loudly.

“Choose what,” Avery asked.

Finnian stared at Aernduil, watching him shake his head, “Finn, what do you need to choose,” Noelle asked with a yell.

Our mage detective stepped in the middle ground between his siblings and Cysten, “send him to me, and I’ll do what you want.”

Cysten narrowed her eyes pointing her scythe at him, “I’m not an idiot. You could easily use your magic to harm me once you have Aernduil.”

“Look, I have been running around almost all night to find him,” Finnian began, “a man I met four days ago! I have lost my mind and even prayed that you didn’t kill him! And as much as I would love to be beside him for the rest of my life if you are going to let him go…”

Finnian didn’t finish his sentence as he stared into Aernduil’s eyes, “please just send him to me, let me say my last words to him, and,” Finnian gestured to himself with his hands, “I’m yours.”

“Finnian don’t,” Avery and Noelle yelled, finally understanding what Cysten meant.

The bald woman sighed, taking the binds off Aernduil’s wrist, and pushing him forward allowing him to run into Finnian’s arms, “please tell me you have a plan,” the pixie whispered.

“PLEASE FINNIAN,” his siblings yelled.

Finnian didn’t respond as, Aernduil rested his forehead against Finnian’s, “you are extremely impulsive,” he chuckled sadly.

His siblings continued to plead and yell at him, “but you like that,” Finnian chuckled, rubbing Aernduil’s cheek, “help them find me.”

Aernduil nodded, “and make sure they don’t do anything reckless.”

“That’s ironic coming from you,” Aernduil replied before whispering, “by saying that I am going to assume you have a plan.”

Finnian smiled kissing Aernduil quickly, before leaving him to approach Cysten. Noelle and Avery ran towards their brother and the woman taking him away before being stopped, Aernduil holding the two of them back.

“LET ME GO! THAT’S MY BROTHER, you're JUST LETTING HER TAKE HIM!”

“THAT’S MY LITTLE BROTHER, SHE CAN’T TAKE HIM AWAY,” Avery screamed, tears running down their face, “HE’S MY BABY BROTHER! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO, PLEASE!”

Finnian turned back and smiled, “je t'aime,” Then his siblings watched as he was injected with something that paralyzed him.

Avery slipped from Aernduil’s grasp, while Cysten through Finnian on the back of her horse, Avery began to run after them but trip before they could even get close, leaving themselves on the ground screaming and crying.

Noelle cried, slamming her fists into Aernduil’s chest, “WHY! WHAT WAS THE REASON! HE LOVES YOU AND YOU LET HIM BE TAKEN AWAY!

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I’m only doing what he asked.”


	7. Chapter Six

When Finnian was four his mother went on a business trip, and when she came back, she gave him a stuffed duck. Which replaced the cute little stuffed squid he had since he was born, no matter if he carried the two around everywhere, he went.

He was a soft child.

With his duck or his squid watching Avery play in the dirt in the school courtyard at recess. He liked the bugs that they would pick up, they were pretty, only to be sad when the bugs were crushed by his sibling.

He wanted to go back to those days. The days were he was safe in his mother’s arms, laughing with his siblings, and in a warm bed with his little duck and squid. Instead of in a dirty basement and vomiting into a bucket.

“Are you alright?”

Finnian weakly turned to see where the exhausted voice was coming from, seeing Daenestra holding a tray of water, “what do you think?!”

“I’m sorry,” she sighed, placing the tray on the floor, and sliding it across the floor, “this is all my fault.”

“Why is Yavanna making the drugs for you,” Finnian asked.

“She thinks she can cure me,” Daenestra replied, “being landlocked isn’t the best for a mermaid.”

“Have you told her that?”

“I have tried,” Daenestra sighed, “granted, I did keep it from her for a while. I think, she is under the belief that when I try and say it’s because I haven’t touched ocean water, that I’m lying to her. That I’m trying to make it seem better than she thinks it is.”

“You could stop her,” Finnian said, “make her let me go, so I can go to a hospital.”

Daenestra said nothing as Finnian began to vomit again. As he vomited into a bucket, his siblings and Aernduil sleeplessly searched for him, by still searching through the pile of documents. While Noelle and Aernduil were searching the papers, Avery was taking care of a few of Aernduil’s small wounds he had from being kidnapped.

“Aernduil, do have any idea where they took you,” Noelle asked.

“No,” Aernduil winced as rubbing alcohol was put on a small cut on his cheek, “they made sure I couldn’t see where they took me.”

Noelle huffed, throwing the papers on the table before there was a loud knock at the front door. Avery went to answer it, showing Nym trying to catch his breath.

“Is Aernduil alright,” He asked, out of breath.

“Nym,” Aernduil remarked.

Nym ran to hug his best friend, “oh my god, thank the lord you’re alright!”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Aernduil sighed, sadly, hugging the fairy back.

“What’s wrong,” Nym asked, releasing the tall pixie, “I know that face, tell what’s wrong.”

“Cysten took Finnian,” Noelle remarked with anger lacing her voice.

“Why would she do that,” Nym asked.

“To study him,” Avery said, firmly not their normal cheerful self.

“Wait what?!”

“Nym, Yavanna, and Cysten have been drugging and killing people,” Aernduil added, before taking a hold of the fairies shoulder and looking into his eyes, “you're telling me you didn’t know that, nor did you notice?”

“Aernduil, I know nothing” Nym expelled with fear in his eyes, “I may work for Yavanna be barely I know her, Daenestra, or Cysten! You know I have done a lot of fucked up shit if I had known they were doing what they were doing, and I would have reported it when it started! I guess I wasn’t paying attention…”

Noelle and Avery sighed, both of them were hinging on Nym being involved with Yavanna’s many crimes.

“Alright,” Aernduil sighed, “but do you have any idea where they would hold their victims?”

“Not really, maybe the other house that Yavanna owns, but I think it is too small to even live in and she uses it for storage,” Nym answered, “at least that’s what she told me.”

“Oh my god,” Avery sighed.

Noelle looked at them confused, “what?”

“We’re fucking idiots,” they remarked as they search through the large pile of documents, soon pulling out a piece of paper that Noelle had searched before, “the house that you thought they would use for Cysten!”

Noelle paused for a moment before getting up and grabbing the paper from her sibling’s hands, “We are idiots.”

“We were looking for a building that used a large amount of energy, looking for something that we would find in a human experiment case,” Avery clarified, “even though half of the shit that we have in the city you wouldn’t even have been able to use here. That’s why Yavanna spent all the silver coin, it was for equipment along with drugs!”

“Okay,” Aernduil said, with a soft chuckle, impressed by a Bookstone-Corals child once again, “but where is the house?”

“I have no idea,” Nym remarked.

“Then let’s go search for it,” Noelle exclaimed.

Finnian was now on an examination table, Yavanna over him holding a bottle of pills and syringes, “let’s see if these will do anything different,” she sighed, before shoving the pills into his mouth and pushing syringes into his skin.

Yavanna pulled him off the table and shoved him onto the floor, leaving him alone. His body reacted to the foreign agents, with his temperature skyrocketing, the room beginning to spin, and his pulse becoming irregular. He hoped he wasn’t overdosing. With his last ounce of strength, he shot magic into the air, creating a beautiful display that had shot through the roof. A magic display that got his siblings' attention as they searched for the house, he was being held in. Noelle and Avery raced to the display of magic, seeing a small house with Cysten guarding it.

“Houses like that normally have a cellar,” Avery remarked, quietly, “if you keep her distracted, I’ll find a way to get inside.”

“How do you know that,” Noelle asked.

“House design is a hobby of mine,” they replied, “now do what you do the best sis!”

Noelle nodded as Avery snuck around in the bushes. Noelle came out of the tree line, catching Cysten’s attention, “so, the big sister came to save her baby brother?”

“I plan to do much more than that,” Noelle sighed, with narrow eyes as she laced her sword with a combination of her family magic and healing magic.

Noelle and Cysten began to clash with each other in the front yard as Avery was behind the house attempting to pry the cellar doors open, with the thin lancing sword they were skilled in.

“Are you kidding,” they groaned, before shooting earth magic at the door, which revealed an opening straight down to a dirt floor, “fuck me!”

Avery jumped down landing on their feet, “nice,” they muttered, before seeing their brother, huddled in the corner his own skillful magic attacking his insides, “FINNIAN!”

Avery rushed over to their brother, holding the mage boy in their arms, “come on, FinFin,” they muttered, “you’re too young to die!”

“Avery?”

“The boy that lived,” they chuckled, “let’s get you out of here!”

“That’s not happening,” a feminine voice yelled.

Avery raised their hands, turning around, facing Yavanna who floated at the bottom of the stairs, “hello, I don’t think we’ve met,” they said before smiling, “I’m Avery.”

Yavanna narrowed her eyes at the middle child, who seemed very defenseless, “so,” Avery sighed, “are you going to kill me?”

Yavanna shoved a large vine into them shoving the genderfluid adult into the wall, “Oh, I’m not going to kill you, yet.”

“Ah right, gotta test the drugs first,” Avery remarked, “Even though they're not going to cure your wife!”

“YOU DON’T KNOW THAT,” Yavanna screamed, wrapping a vine around Avery’s throat.

“I do know,” Avery said, choking.

Yavanna let them go, making them fall to the ground, coughing, “explain yourself!”

“Your wife is a mermaid, correct,” Avery began, “you’re landlocked, she needs seawater to survive! Please if she had any other illness combining over-the-counter drugs isn’t going to be a long-term solution.”

“YOU’RE LYING!”

Yavanna shoved another large vine at Avery pushing them to the wall again, “I AM GOING TO CURE DAENSTRA!”

“You’ve killed ten people,” Avery yelled, “you’ve put four creatures into comas, and you traumatized a whole village!”

Yavanna didn’t reply, “It’s admirable what you’re trying to do, I know many people who would do the same thing that you are, but kidnapping, drugging, and killing them is taking it too far!”

“But… but, I’m trying to save her!”

“What you’re doing now, isn’t working,” Avery replied.

Yavanna was silent for a moment, although that didn’t last long, “no,” she yelled, “this is going to work!”

The fairy shoved Avery into the wall before pulling an unconscious Finnian off the floor and putting him on the examination table. Noelle had finally made it down to the basement, seeing Yavanna rambling to herself while chaotically searching for something, her sibling struggling to free themselves from their Earthly binds, and their brother halfway dead on the table.

Noelle raced to her sibling, cutting the vines that held them to the wall. Avery sighed, before using the vines that once held them, that were now a mix of dark and pastel colors, to attack Yavanna and hold her in the air.

“I tried to reason with you,” Avery remarked in a dark tone as they tightened the vines around Yavanna, “what did you not think that mère taught her most delicate child how to use her magic!”

Avery continued to tighten the vines around the fairy as Noelle grabbed their brother and began to use healing magic on him.

“YAVANNA,” Daenestra screamed as she made it downstairs.

The mermaid ran to Avery, falling at their feet, and clawing at their clothes, “please don’t kill her! I can fix this!”

Avery looked at Noelle, who said nothing and didn’t turn her attention from Finnian. It was Avery’s decision! They let Yavanna go, letting Daenestra run to her side. The two women muttering soft words to each other.

“I would run to the ocean,” Avery sighed quietly, helping their sister carry their brother out of the house.

They passed a defeated Cysten who stared at the night sky a beaten woman, who then saw her employer flying away with her wife, leaving the bodyguard with nothing but the aftermath.

Hours later we return to the familiar modern home, where Indigo and Calvin laid on the couch, Indigo staring at their reflection in the TV, both processing the picture their children had painted for them in a long phone call.

“At least they were right,” Indigo sighed, with a broken voice, “they solved it in under a week…They have done what I cannot.”

“Yet, our son is tremendously injured,” Calvin sighed.

“We allowed them to go into a deathly situation.”

“We are horrible parents…”

“It’s Castlebell, all over again,” Indigo remarked as she rubbed the scar on Calvin’s left forearm.

“Yup,” he huffed, “they come back tomorrow.”

Indigo nodded, “at least they’re alive.”

“That is the only bright side.”

We now turn the last of our attention back to the cottage in Midforest Falls where a sleeping Finnian laid in bed, nowhere near to fully healed, but thanks to his sister, he wasn’t dead. Aernduil sat in a chair in his room, quietly watching the unwell boy. Finnian soon tossed in his sleep before opening his eyes and making eye contact with the older pixie.

“Good morning,” Aernduil whispered, “how do you feel?”

Finnian cracked a smile, “like shit.”

“Looking like shit is a good look for you,” Aernduil joked, getting up before sitting at his bedside, “it’s a surprise you’re smiling, after everything you’ve been through.”

“I’m looking at you,” Finnian muttered as Aernduil moved pieces of hair off his sweaty forehead.

“I’m sorry,” Aernduil yearned.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Finnian exclaimed, “I went with her willingly.”

“To save me.”

“I would do it again.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Would you give your life for mine?”

“Of course!”

Finnian slowly sat up, “You shouldn’t.”

Aernduil hung his head, “I don’t know what to say to you,” he mumbled, “I feel like I should yell at you. The hold: “If you really cared for me, you would have known that sacrificing yourself would break my heart,” but I also wanna cry 'cause you’re alive and I thought for a split second I was never going to see you again or hear your voice…”

Finnian nodded, placing his hand on Aernduil’s cheek pulling his face close, and resting their foreheads against each other, “I also want to kiss you, because again I thought you…”

“had died?”

“Yes!”

Finnian kissed him softly, “anything else,” the mage boy asked wiping the tears off the pixie’s cheeks.

Aernduil shook his head, “I should let you rest,” he got up to leave before Finnian grabbed his wrist, “please stay,” Finnian whispered.

Aernduil flashed him a sad smile before climbing into the bed beside the mage boy, draping a damp cloth over his forehead, kissing his temple, and muttering: “sleep.”


	8. Epilogue

“Noelle, you in here,” Avery asked, opening the door to her brother’s office.

“Yeah,” Noelle replied, looking away from the computer.

“Why are you in here,” Avery asked, “and where is Finnian?”

“I needed to access some documents that are only on Finn’s computer,” Noelle answered, “and he left after 12, he had therapy.”

“So, he really is going to therapy?”

“Of course, he’s going to therapy,” Noelle scoffed.

Avery ran their hand across the books and files on the bookshelf, “I’m just shocked.”

“Well, with everything that happened at Midforest Falls it is a good thing that he is going to therapy,” Noelle replied, “we all probably need to go therapy.”

Avery laughed, “sure.”

Noelle looked at Avery, who sat gayly in one of the chairs in front of the office desk, “Avery, you scared me,” she remarked, “you have never been one to use magic, and when you finally did you seem more powerful than Finnian.”

“I wasn’t,” Avery scoffed, “you’re over-exaggerating.”

“You almost choked Yavanna to death,” Noelle alleged.

“Our brother was in danger!”

“Avery, you’re extremely powerful!”

Avery huffed, “Noelle,” Pascal said poking his head in the doorway, “Q’s here.”

“Thanks, Pascal,” Noelle replied as Q walked into the room, “you look very handsome, fleur.”

“Oh, please speak more French,” Q chuckled as he walked behind the office desk and kissing Noelle’s cheek, “ready to go?”

“Yeah, just give me a second,” Noelle replied.

“You guys mind giving me a ride to mom and dad’s,” Avery asked.

“Sure, car still in the shop,” Q posed.

Avery nodded, watching their sister stand from the desk signaling that she was ready to leave. Meanwhile, the boy of the hour sat on his parent’s back patio meditating with his mother, trying to get control of his magic, once again.

Granted the mage had healed from his wounds physically and close to mentally, although do to the large display of magic he used, to alert the siblings of his location, his magic had attacked him from the inside, in small doses, since that day. So, he went to the only person he knew could help him, his archmage mother.

Aernduil watched Finnian and Indigo from inside as small creatures danced around them. Looking at them through the large window’s many people had looked out before. The pixie had made it a routine to visit the youngest Bookstone-Corals child, which allowed them to get to know each other better. The two them now in an undefined state of their relationship, because they both knew the depth of their feeling for one another, but the subject of their relationship came up, they wouldn’t label it.

“It’s more entertaining when they fight each other,” Calvin remarked from behind the pixie.

“Really,” Aernduil chuckled.

Calvin nodded while taking a place beside Aernduil, “Indigo and I are sorry,” he said out of the blue.

“Excuse me?”

“If Indigo and I had known you exist back in Castlebell, we would have done anything and everything to help you.”

“Oh,” Aernduil sighed, “it’s alright.”

“Excuse me,” the doctor gasped.

“What happened in my childhood and with Cirdan wasn’t anywhere close to being decent and I wish it had never happened. Although I don’t want you or Indigo to feel bad because you didn’t save me,” Aernduil explained, “putting him in jail save me, and I thank you both for that.”

“I did nothing,” Calvin replied before pointing at Indigo, “It was all her.”

Aernduil smiled, seeing Indigo and Finnian engaged in a conversation that made the mage boy smile wide. “It’s always her,” Calvin muttered as he heard his other children enter the home.

“He’s good for you, mon épine,” Indigo chuckled as her son help her stand up.

“I know Maman, but…”

“Alright, Finnian,” Indigo laughed, “I’ll stop being the nosy mother.”

“No, you won’t,” Finnian replied, kissing her cheek.

Indigo rolled her eyes as she walked inside with her son to join the ever-expanding family for a nice dinner, one that was interrupted by Finnian’s cell phone.

“Who is it,” Noelle asked.

“Yeah, you don’t have friends,” Avery joked.

“I have no idea,” Finnian answered, “it’s a Xancechester number.”

Indigo looked at Calvin from across the table, Indigo's face displaying concern and shock as Calvin’s displayed a sense of annoyance or anger, “answer it,” they both stated in different tones of voice.

“go in the living room,” Indigo added, watching Calvin fold his hands on the table as if he were praying while resting his forehead on them.

Finnian did as his parents told him, “Mama, what is it,” Noelle asked.

“I don’t know,” Indigo said, shyly.

“How do you have a reaction like that and not know,” Avery commented, “dad?”

“It’s probably not what I think it is,” Calvin said, trying to get his cheerful tone back, “I mean I’m always wrong.”

“Why are you both lying,” Noelle pressed.

Q and Aernduil were left to shrug at each other as the two children went back and forth with their parents, before Finnian returned, “It was the advisor to the Queens.”

“Aunt Anastasia and Aunt Beatrice,” Avery questioned.

Finnian nodded, “we need to go to the capital, because of what happened in Midforest Falls.”

“God damn it,” Calvin sighed.

Indigo looked at him with a sad and scared expression, “mère, père,” Avery sighed, their eyes shifting between Indigo and Calvin, “what are you not telling us?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading come back for Glass Castle!


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